Trolley-stand.



No. 692,790. Patented Feb. 4, |902;

o. F. LmKE.

TROLLEY VSTAND.

(Applicgntion lsd Aug. 14, 1901.) (No Model.)

WIT ESSES INVENTOR G77/fwn. .azz

,7m-nanars PETERS co.. PHoro-Lnuo.. wAsHxNcTon, n. c..

UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO F. LIDKE, OF YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO DETROIT TROLLEY AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LIMITED, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TRoLLEY-sTAN D.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 692,790, dated February 4, 1902. Application led August 14, 1901. Serial No. 72,002. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern: Y Y

Be it known that L 'OTTO F. LIDKE, a citi-l zen of the United States, residing at Ypsilanti, county of Washtenaw, State-of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful enable others skilled in the art to which it xo pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to trolley-supports, and has for its object an improved support r 5 arranged to be movable along the top of the car, from one end thereof to the other, or from one end of the track on which it rides to the other end ofthe track, and by means of which the trolley-pole is carried under spring tenzo sion when in any position except a perfectly vertical position above the pivot on which it rests.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical crosssection of the support and the rail on which z 5 it runs. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section of the support and the rail on which it runs. Fig. 3 is a perspective showing the at.

tachment of the support to the top ofthe car.I

2 indicates a track-rail, preferably made 3o tubular, with a groove at each side of the tube and arranged on the top of thecar and running from the front to the rear of the car. The grooves 3 and 4 are deep, and in crosssection their contour is nearly semicircular.

The trackpiece 2 is held at intervals by a chair, like'the chair 5, and the chair is secured by bolts through bolt-holes 6 and 7 to the top of the car. The rail is secured to the chair by bolts or screws 8.

4o A carriage is arranged to run on-the rail 2, and this carriage consists of a saddle-like body 9, having sockets 33 34 35 for the reception of balls 10, 11, and 12. The sockets 33 34 35 are substantially hemispherical. A ball is dropped into each of the sockets, and the carriage-body 9 is run on the rail 2, and the ball engages in the grooves 3 or 4 in the rail, and these not only hold the carriage to the rail, but furnish a friction-bearing that en- 5o ables the carriage to run easily along the rail. At the top of the saddle part 9 of the carriage is a table surrounded bya vertical flange, Vand around the table 36, near the flange thereof, is a circular groove 14. The table itself is circular in outline. Above the'table, bolted 55 or otherwise secured thereto, is a guard 37, which is also provided with a circular groove 33V on its under side, and the. circular groove 14 and the circular groove 33 are arranged tol engage the upper and lower points of running 6o wheels that are hungon horizontal bearings. Central to the groove 14 is a hollow conical pivotbearing 13, and in this pivot-bearing rests a needle-pointed projecting hanger from a table 16. The table 16 is circular and has 65 a flange 39 running around it, and from the flange are axles 40, projecting outward, and onv the outer end of each of these axles is mounted a friction-wheel 4l. The friction- Wheel 41 is arranged to travel in a circular 7o path, and the Wheel bears sometimes in the groove 14 and sometimes in the groove 3S. Normallyit is arranged to be nearly in contact with both grooves, although not necessarily in contact with either. On the top side ot' the table 39 and central thereto is a'stud 21, through which is a hori'- zontal hole, and through the hole is passed a rod 42, screw-threaded at each end. At its middle point this rod 42 is provided with a 8o circumferential groove, into which projects the end of a holding-screwl. A pole-'socket 22 is secured to the stud by passing a rod 42 through tubular arms 23 and 24 and through 'the-hole in the stud. Springs 31 and 32 sur- 85 round the arms 23 and 24,'and feach spring is made fast at one end to the socket-casting and at the other end to a nut, and the nuts are run onto the threaded ends of the rod 42.

The spring 31 is wound to be put in ten- 9o sion when the socket and the pole therein swing in one direction-for example, with a right-handswing-and the spring 32 is Wound to be putin tension when the socket and the pole therein are swung in the other direction. The tension sregulated by the nuts 29 30.

The screw-threaded end of the rod 42 is provided with notches 27 2S, in which engages a pawl that is pivoted to the nut 29,

and a similar construction is employed with ron the nut 30 and the end of the` rod on which it engages.

The socket 22 is made in halves, secured together by bolts, which pass through the ears 4A 45 46 47 49 50.

The trolley-support of this structure can be shifted from end to end of the car and has a considerable range to swing longitudinally of the car; but its swing longitudinally7 of the car is resisted in either direction by a spring, which tends to bring it to a perpendicular, and consequently tends to hold it strongly up against the wire under which it runs.

l. In combination with a rail adapted to be secured to the top of a car, a carriage movable along said rail, a trolley-arm, means intermediate said arm and said carriage arranged to allow the trolley-arm a universal swinging movement, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a track and a carriage shiftable thereon, means for holding the carriage to the track, a trolley-pole socket arranged to swing freely in the direction of the track with a limited movement across the track and to rotate on a central needle-point bearing, substantially as described.

3. In a trolley-support, a trolley-socket provided with a needle-pointed bearing, means whereby the bearing is capable of rotation on the point of said bearing, and means whereby the trolley-pole socket is arranged to swing with respect to the needle-point bear ing, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a track provided with running-grooves a carriage provided with sockets, and balls arranged to hold the carriage to the track and to furnish bearings on which the carriage runs, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a trolley-arm provided With cross-arms and supported on a needle-point bea-ring a pair of springs arranged to lift the arm when the arm is in either position, and means for adjusting the tension of the springs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

OTTO F. LIDKE.

YV itnesses:

CHARLES F. BURTON, EDWARD S. GRACE. 

